The Beginning
by singerqueen2000
Summary: This is Edwards story of how he became a vampire and how his family came to be. It starts when he has the Spanish Influenza up until he meets Bella. Edward's POV. Read and Review!
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1: The Disease

Chicago, 1918 -

I lay sprawled out on my bed, ` thinking about what life had in store for me. Up to this point, I hadn't done anything incredibly interesting. I mostly stayed to myself. My mother was starting to wonder if I would be alone forever. At my age, it was high time to start becoming serious about finding a companion and starting a family. I had other ideas in mind.

The war was still going on, and I wanted to sign up. If it hadn't been for my family situation, I would go first thing tomorrow and enlist. All of my friends have already joined, and I wanted to as well. I made my view clear anytime I could. Anyone could tell you that I had quite the temper problem, and I wanted to go out and fight more than anything in the world.

The only thing stopping me up to this point had been my mother. She's been quite ill the past few weeks and I've stayed home to attend to her. Speaking of which, it was time to go check on her. I walked quietly down the hall to her bedroom where she spent most of her time lately. I found her there, lying on her pastel bed spread reading a battered book she'd read many times before. A classic, of course.

"Edward, darling!" My mother smiled at me. Her voice was week and her skin paler than it should, but she still managed to be as pleasant as ever. She always was a strong woman.

"Good morning, mother." I replied politely. I walked toward her and sat on the edge of her bed, and felt her forehead. "How are you feeling?"

"I've been bet—" She broke off with a harsh cough. She seemed to not be able to stop. She was clammy and sweating, and had a bluish tint to her face. I knew then that this was much worse that we thought. My father had died just a few weeks prior, taken by the Spanish Influenza. He had very similar symptoms. I got pulled out of my thoughts with the sound of my mother gasping for air. Suddenly, she was breathing heavy and her eyes rolled back into her head and fell out of consciousness.

"Mother!" I started to panic. I already lost my father, I couldn't lose my mother too, I just couldn't. She means so much to me. I picked her frail body in my arms and started to run. The hospital was only a few blocks away, I could make it.

When I finally got to the hospital, I gasped at what I saw. Cots and beds full of people all having similar symptoms to my mother. There were even people in blankets on the floor. I had to find someone to help me. I was beginning to lose it.

"Somebody help me, please! Help!"

I saw a flash of white heading towards me very quickly. As soon as I finished my sentence, there was a very attractive man standing before me. His skin was almost as white as his coat, and had golden blond hair. He had very angular features, but there was a softness to them that I could tell I could trust him. But what struck me the most were his eyes. His golden eyes. I've never seen eyes that color before. Topaz, almost pure gold. They were mesmerizing. His words pulled me out of my thoughts.

"Good afternoon, I'm Dr. Carlisle Cullen. Now, what's wrong with our patient here?" He said kindly.

"Oh yes, of course. My name is Edward Mason, and this is my mother, Elizabeth. She's been sick for a while, and when I went to check in on her, she just collapsed! I didn't know what to do, so I brought her strait here." I said slightly frantically. I was starting to feel a little light headed, and I was breathing rather heavily. Probably just all the events of the day catching up to me.

Dr. Cullen gave me a small, comforting smile and began to take my mother out of my arms and over to a cot.

"Just calm down son, you did the right thing. Everything will be alright." He looked to me, but I couldn't focus on him, I was getting really dizzy, and I had a burning feeling in the back of my throat.

"I don't feel so good." I slurred. I really didn't. Probably just over stressed. Dr. Cullen looked up from checking my mothers vital signs, and looked me over.

"Maybe we should take a look at you as well." That was the last thing I heard before everything went black.

I woke up feeling much worse than I did before. My head was pounding so hard I couldn't see straight. I felt like I was going to throw up. I tried to take a deep breath to clear my head, but I couldn't breath. The only thing that came out was enormous amounts of coughing. I kept trying to breath, but all I could do was cough. I tried to sit up, but found that I was much too weak to even attempt it.

When my eyes finally adjusted, I noticed that I must have been out for a while. When we came here, it was around noon, and now it was dark outside. I wonder what happened? I looked around and saw my mother who looked even worse than I felt. She noticed that I was awake and sat up to come over to my bed and sat on the edge. She was so weak, but still trying to take care of me.

"Edward! You're awake. Oh Edward, are you alright darling? I'm so sorry, I should have been able to take care of you." My mother hugged me as tightly as she could in her condition, but I was to weak to return it.

"Mom, I'm fine, don't worry about me. Just get yourself better." I told her, my voice extremely hoarse from coughing. She didn't listen to me, just continued to try to attend to me. She gave me a cool washcloth and put it on my forehead. I must admit, that did make it feel better. My mother went back over to her cot, with much persuasion on my part, just as Dr. Cullen came in.

"Ah, Edward. I see that you're awake now." He said, while looking me over.

"Yes, sir. Dr. Cullen, what happened? Why am I here?" I asked him, confused. I couldn't remember much of anything. I remember bringing my mother here, but after that, it all seemed a little fuzzy.

Dr. Cullen gave me a sad smile before addressing me.

"Please, call me Carlisle." He smiled warmly at me, but then his eyes got sad before continuing. "I'm sorry son, but it seems that you've come down with the disease as well. It's very contagious and I assume being so close to your mother made you more prone to it. It seems we'll have to keep you here for a while."

I started coughing again, but this time the cloth turned read. Oh no. I was coughing up blood. This made me more panicked, which made the coughing worse. Dr. Cullen... er, Carlisle, quickly left the room, only to come back seconds later with a mug. He came back over to my bed and handed me the cup.

"Here, drink this. It should help ease the coughing a little. Just don't ask what's in it." He said with a smirk.

I took the cup from him and drank. It tasted more foul than anything I could imagine. I had to hold my breath to drink it. However, it did help the coughing, at least for now.

"Thank you, Carlisle." I said, giving him a look of gratitude. I took this opportunity to look at him again. He still had that friendly smile on his face, but he looked extremely tired. He had really dark circles under his eyes, which seemed to be much darker today. _How could that possibly be?_ I thought. Maybe my eyes were just playing tricks on me. Yes, that's what it was.

"Why don't you get some rest. You're going to need your strength if you're going to fight this off." He rested his and on my shoulder, and I realized how cold he was. Almost like ice. I flinched slightly, and he seemed to notice. He apologized, saying it was due to my fever, and quickly left the room. It didn't take long at all to drift off to sleep. I was completely exhausted and in a lot of pain.

I was unconscious for a long time, but even then I could feel my mothers presence close to my bed, putting cool towels on my forehead, occasionally waking me to drink some tea or take some medicine. She was probably hurting her chances of survival by attending to me. She should take care of herself. She needed to stay alive. I needed her to stay alive. She was my life.

I woke up later to sounds of voices. They were soft, but I could hear them perfectly. It was almost as if it were a dream. Maybe that's what it was, a dream. I kept my eyes closed, so I could listen without being noticed. It was Dr. Cullen and my mother. My mother sounded frantic about something. I wondered what it was?

"Save him." My mother commanded in a hoarse voice that was probably all her throat could manage. Was she talking about me?

"I'll do everything in my power," Dr. Cullen promised her. I peaked at them and saw that he had taken her hand in his. She looked so weak, so pail, so fragile. It hurt to watch.

"You must!" She insisted, clutching at his hand. Her eyes were hard, like stones, like emeralds. I had so much of her in me. Same bronze hair, same green eyes. Same stubborn personality. She continued, "You must do everything in _your_ power. What others cannot do, that is what you must do for my Edward."

I must admit, this was an extremely vivid dream. The Carlisle figure looked shocked, frightened almost, after my mother pleaded with him. He looked as though she knew something about him that nobody else did. He stared at her for a moment, before she slipped into unconsciousness.

I was much too sick to listen to anything anymore. I was beyond getting better and I knew it. When I wasn't unconscious, I was coughing and wheezing. I could barely open my eyes anymore. When I finally opened my eyes, I saw Carlisle turn to look at me. He had so many emotions on his face. His eyes were sad, almost pained just from looking at me. What had I done to make him look so hurt? As he looked at me, I noticed that he looked at me like a father would look at his son in this position. Not that he was anywhere near old enough to be my father, but nonetheless, that's how it was. Finally, he got a strong look of determination in his golden eyes staring into my green ones.

I knew my mother had died then. I looked at her for a brief moment, and instantly realized that I was now alone in this. I didn't have the strength to survive without her. As I saw her face, she didn't look peaceful as I would have thought. She still looked worried. She always did put others before herself. So selfless. I watched him wheel my mother away to where I assume was the morgue. I closed my eyes and tears came down my face without my permission.

I must have gone unconscious again, because suddenly I felt myself being wheeled away as well. I wanted to scream at them that I was still alive, that I wasn't giving up, but I couldn't do it. I couldn't open my eyes. I couldn't make any sound some out of my mouth. Suddenly I wasn't being wheeled anymore. Somebody picked me up. I felt a door open, and we were outside. _Why were we outside?_ I thought. It seemed as though we were being carried across the rooftops, but that didn't make much sense. I didn't know what was going on.

Suddenly it was warm again, I assumed we were inside somewhere. I felt him lay me down on a bed. I still couldn't open my eyes. Inside though, I was panicking. What was going on? Why was I here? Suddenly, I heard someone talking. It was Carlisle. He seemed to be talking to himself.

"I don't exactly know what I have to do here. I've never done this before, after all. I suppose I should just recreate my own experience." He mumbled to himself.

What on earth was he talking about? It didn't make any sense. I heard his footsteps come closer to me. He sat on the edge of my bed. I wanted to ask him what was going on, but I still couldn't manage to open my eyes or find my voice.

He leaned down to whisper in my ear. "I'm so sorry, Edward. Please forgive me."

Just then I felt something sharp pierce my neck.

AN - Ok guys, some people have mentioned that the sickness seemed a little rushed, so I thought I'd explain that. I did a little research on the Spanish Influenza, and everything said that people who get it will be fine one day and then they'll get sick and die within two days. For the people who make it, they'll be better in four days. So Edward had to experience this quickly because that's how the disease was. Hope that makes more sense! Review!


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two: Voices

Immediately after the sharp pierce, came a cool liquid flowing into me. At first, the cool felt nice against the burning of the fever. I was able to relax slightly. It certainly didn't last long. The pain shot through me, I felt like the fire would never end.

Was I dying? Was I in hell? What did I do to deserve all this pain? If I wasn't dead, then what was happening? Whatever it is, I'm certain death would have been preferable. I suddenly heard an earth shattering scream, so loud I felt my ears were going to burst. That's when I realized that the scream came from me. Was this ever going to end?

Two days. Two days of the screaming, the burning, the fire. Two days of absolute hell. It could have been two years for all the pain I felt. I was vaguely aware that there was somebody beside me from the beginning, silently encouraging me that I would make it through whatever it was that was going on inside of me. I felt a cool towel on my forehead, though it did nothing to stop the fire.

"I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry." The voice kept saying, after every scream that escaped my throat.

Who was this person, and why was he apologizing? At the moment, I really don't care who it is. As long as I still hear the voice, I know I'm alive.

Just when I was starting to accept the pain and the burning, something much worse began. At first it wasn't much. Whispers swimming around my head. Voices. I couldn't make anything out, just background noise. What was this? Was I going crazy? I'm not that educated, but I'm sure hearing voices in your head is never a good sign. Then the whispers weren't whispers anymore. They got louder and louder, until it seemed as though the voices were screaming in my head! I couldn't understand any of them, there were too many, just that they were there. Their screams were making my head pound, threatening to burst.

"IT HURTS!" I screamed at the top of my lungs. I couldn't keep it in any longer. The voices were threatening to take over.

"I know, I'm so sorry. I promise it will be over soon." A soothing voice said, though I barely heard it through all the commotion in my head.

"The voices!" I screamed, "Make them stop!" I couldn't take much more of this. I tried to open my eyes to find the soothing voice, but when I opened my eyes, there was nothing but blackness.

With the mix of the burning and the voices, I didn't care how long this took, I wanted to die. Right here and now, just to end the misery. I couldn't stand this!

"Please, please kill me!" I knew that there was someone with me. They knew that I was hurting, why weren't they doing something about it! There was no response, though I felt something cold on my skin. Maybe I was getting through to them. I continued, "Please, just let me die! I want to die! The voices!" They were getting louder and louder, though I didn't think that was possible, and as the voices grew, so did the pain. I was begging to have my life end but no such luck. Just as I thought I was going to have my request granted, everything stopped. The voices had hushed to a whisper, and the pain subsided.

I finally felt like I could breath again. That's when I realized that I _wasn't_ breathing. I don't understand. Isn't breathing kind of essential? As I was thinking of all of this, I still wasn't breathing, and I wondered why I wasn't gasping for air yet. I slowly breathed in, and I began to smell things I never thought could be smelled. It was quite an odd sensation.

I slowly opened my eyes and it was like I was blind my entire life. The colors were so vivid and bright. I decided to take this opportunity to look around me. The first thing I noticed was that I definitely wasn't in the hospital anymore. I found myself in a large, spacious room, all warm tones. Three of the walls were a dark tan color, while the wall in front of me was a deep red. I looked down and noticed that I was laying on a very large bed, with a bed sheet that matched the red on the wall.

When I finally got my bearings, I realized that there was a man sitting on a chair on the side of the bed, staring down at me. He looked so familiar. That pale skin, blond hair and golden eyes were almost impossible to forget. Suddenly, I started to remember. I was sick in the hospital, my mother had died, and this man came to take care of me, but then why do I remember him biting me, and all the pain! What the hell is going on?

I was looking at my hands, when suddenly, I heard his voice. The soothing voice that was there the whole time.

_What do I say? I've never done this before.'_

I looked up at the man. "Never done what before?"

He blinked a few times very rapidly, he was obviously shocked. "Excuse me?"

I didn't get it. Didn't he just talk to me? "You said you've never done this before. I wanted to know exactly what _this_ is. I'm just a little confused, I suppose. I was in the hospital, then there was a lot of pain, and now I'm here. I don't understand."

"... I didn't say that out loud."

I looked at him, confused. Of course he had to say it out loud, if not, how could I possibly hear him? I looked down at my hands again.

_'Edward, can you hear me?' _I looked up at him. Of course I could hear him. Was he playing some sort of game with me or something?

"Of course I can hear you... why would you ask that?" He gave me a pointed look before speaking. At least I thought so.

_'Edward, I didn't say that out loud either.' _He smiled slightly. _'I think we just found his gift!'_

"What gift? What are you talking about? And why can I hear you without you speaking?" I was starting to get a little anxious. Nothing like this has ever happened to me before. Was I going crazy? I looked to him for answers, and he seemed just as nervous as I did.

_'Oh boy... how do I explain this to him?' _I heard him think... I think. This was starting to get extremely frustrating!

"Well, HE is right here, and HE is _more_ than a little confused. So why not just start of by explaining maybe why I'm here, and what do you mean by gift? Hearing voices usually gets people in asylums... I'm sorry, I don't mean to sound rude, I'm glad I'm not sick anymore, I'm just a little frustrated."

I looked over at him to see him smiling warmly at me, and it made me feel a little better. He took a deep breath, and began.

"Well Edward, why don't I start by introducing myself. My name is Carlisle Cullen. If you remember, I was the doctor who was assigned to you at the hospital." He looked at me nervously. Now I remember him!

"Of course! You took care of my mother and me. Before..." I broke off, not wanting to relive my mothers death.

"Yes, well, I'm glad you remember. However, there is more you need to understand about me, as well as yourself." He paused slightly before continuing._'I hope he believes me.'_ I heard him think, but decided to keep my mouth shut. "Edward, I'm not human." He paused to look at me. Right now, I wasn't quite sure what to think. I just wanted answers. I nodded for him to continue. "I'm a vampire." Okay, I wasn't expecting that one. I froze, and he continued. "I grew rather attached to you and your mother during your stay at the hospital. You were very ill, and didn't have much longer to live. Before your mother died, she made me promise to do everything in my power to save you. For a moment, I thought she knew who I was. Either way, the only way I was able to save you is to make you like me." He stopped, waiting for me to respond.

"So... does this mean that I'm a vampire, too?" I asked. I wasn't sure what to think at this moment.

"Yes." He replied. _'Maybe it would help if I told him about my life.'_ he thought.

"It might." I said, biting my lip, nervously.

"That's going to take some getting used to." he said with a laugh. "Let me see how I can make this easier for you. I was born in London... a long time ago."

He continued to tell me the story of his life. I must say, it was quite interesting. The diet of a vampire frightened me at first, not knowing if I could survive off of blood, let alone human blood. Then of course, Carlisle told me that he feasted off of animal blood. I guess that seemed more humane. He did say that it would be challenging, because of the human blood lust.

It made me feel like a monster. Always having to control myself from killing humans. It didn't seem like a creature like us should exist. At least I was alive... in some respect. Although, now living for eternity sort of defeats the purpose of a life. This was definitely going to take some getting used to.

At least I wasn't alone in this. I knew I had Carlisle. He seemed to make this unbearable situation a little bit better. I couldn't fathom how he moved past the blood lust and dedicated his life to giving something back to humanity. I knew from his thoughts that he didn't like being a monster any more than I did. I don't want to be a monster. Carlisle interrupted my thoughts.

"Well, now that you know a little more about me and my way of living, you do have a choice. You could either go off on your own, choose to live how you wish... or you could join me and my lifestyle. I won't force you to do anything you don't wish to do." He stopped for a moment, but his thoughts began to scream above all the other voices. _'I really hope he says yes to my offer. I've been alone for so long now.'_ he though. I heard him, but I didn't think I should say anything, for I believe that it was not meant for me to hear.

I smiled at him before beginning. "I can see this is going to be a challenging way to live, and I would love to be your companion along the way. Your way of living definitely seems more appealing." I told him sincerely.

Carlisle had a huge grin on his face and his thoughts were screaming with happiness. I winced a little at the volume. That reminded me.

"Carlisle, I would like to know now what you meant about a gift." I winced again as the volume of the voices in my head increased dramatically.

"You see, Edward, when we're changed, each of us take over some characteristic or trait we had when we were human, and usually, it becomes much stronger. For me, I always had great compassion for everyone around me, and that trait helped me to be able to overcome the blood lust in order to help other people. In your case, since you seem to be able to read minds of some sort, I would assume that you were very good at reading people when you were human." He explained.

I thought about that. I always was good at reading people. Most of them seemed to be really obvious of what they were thinking. Though, I don't really consider what I have now as a gift. To me, it seems more like a curse.

"I don't see how this is a good thing. I can't seem to get them to stop. I could here you when you were directing something to me, or when your thoughts were just rather loud... but how do I get them to stop?"

"Well, son, it's going to take a great deal of control, which you will learn in time. Let's try something." He stopped for a moment, and looked at me pointedly. _'I want you to focus on my voice, until it is the only one you hear.'_ he thought to me.

I did as he asked and tried to focus on only his thoughts, ignoring the others around me. It took some time, but finally the other voices died down and all I could hear was his thoughts. I smiled a little, proud of my accomplishment, and nodded at him.

He smiled in return. "Very good! It usually takes a lot longer for people to be able to control their gifts. I want you to try something else. Try to open up your mind, and let the thoughts come in. If you are able to see what that takes, like you were before, you will be able to better control your mind so that won't happen. Now... go ahead."

I was a little apprehensive about this one, but I did it nonetheless. If this would help me, then I would do it. I closed my eyes and focused only on the thoughts. Suddenly the whispers became so loud that they were screaming in my head. It hurt my head extremely, and I screamed in pain. I looked at Carlisle for help. 'Focus on my thoughts. Only my thoughts. Ignore all the rest. Focus on me.' He kept repeating, until the voices subsided, and I could only hear him. I sighed, and nodded again.

"This is going to take some time. Don't worry though. You'll do just fine." He smiled warmly at me.

Suddenly I realized that there was a burning in the back of my throat. I tried to cough to make it better, but it didn't work.

Carlisle looked me over, in a doctor fashion. "Are you alright, son?" he asked concerned, but it seemed that he knew what was wrong.

"My throat feels like its on fire. I can't seem to make it go away." I told him.

He looked at me and nodded. He knew what was going on. "You're thirsty." he told me.

I looked at him, slightly confused. The next words he said, frightened me more than anything I heard so far.

"Time to hunt."

AN: Thanks for reading! The more reviews I get, the more inspired I am to write! So press the little blue button!


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three: Blood

I must say, I was extremely nervous about my first hunt. I had never been a fan of blood. I suppose I would be now, either way. Carlisle assured me that I would be fine and that it would just come to me. Despite his reassurance, I was still unsure of what to do.

Carlisle and I made our way to the outskirts of town, into a rather large forest area. Once we got there, I looked at Carlisle expectantly.

"You'll do fine, Edward. Just trust your instincts. Close your eyes and focus. As soon as you catch a scent, you'll know what to do." He said calmly. _Trust me. _Came his thoughts. I had no choice but to believe him.

"Before you go, why don't we meet back here in an hour or so, and maybe we could practice some of your skills." He asked me.

"Sure, that would be fine." I replied and smiled at him in thanks. He has helped me so much.

He smiled as well, and told me he was leaving to find his own meal, and quickly left the clearing.

I stood in the middle of the huge clearing, surrounded by the thick forest, and did as he said. I closed my eyes, trying to concentrate, on what I'm still not sure. I stood still for a moment, and decided that I should sniff the air, to try and catch a scent. I took a deep breath just as the wind blew in my direction, and smelled it. I have no idea what it was, but it was the most wonderful thing I've ever come across! So sweet, so tempting, I had to have it!

I ran full speed in the direction of the smell. I had no idea I could run this fast. I didn't even realize it until all I could see was a blur of green. But that wasn't important right now. The only thing I could think of was that smell. That wonderful, luscious, irresistible smell. As the scent got stronger, I ran faster. This irresistible need to devour the source of this magnificent thing. The scent was stronger than ever, and I looked around to find out where it was coming from. I looked through the trees, and there, about a hundred yards away was a mountain lion.

My animal instinct took over, you could say, as I ran towards the beast, looking for a fight. When I was close enough for him to sense that I was there, I lunged. I wanted this fight. It was half the fun. I grabbed a hold on his neck, and he began to snap at me, claw me. But he was no match for me. After toying with him a little more, I quickly snapped his neck and sunk my teeth into it.

The warm liquid soothing the burn in the back of my throat was the most wonderful feeling in the world. And the taste! Oh, the taste... sweet, like honey, or mint. I have never been so content than I was in that very moment, feeling the warm, sweet liquid quenching my thirst. I quickly finished and pried myself away from the animal. I took a step back when I realized the extent of what I had just done. I had just taken away this creatures life just because I was hungry...err... thirsty, rather. I suddenly felt remorse go through me, as I looked at the animal, lifeless in front of me. But I also realized that this was far better than taking the life of a human. I quickly dug a hole and buried the animal. It deserved at least that much.

I started walking again, still not completely satisfied. After all, I was new, so I suppose I needed to feed more than Carlisle did. I walked for a while, and I found myself closer to the edge of the forest than I previously had been. It would probably still be alright, it wasn't hunting season or anything. _At least for the humans, that is._ I laughed at my little joke. They had no idea.

I didn't know what I was looking for exactly, so I simply kept walking for a while, letting my mind wander. It was a nice day out. Cloudy overhead, so we wouldn't be seen, although, I'm not quite sure about that one. I asked Carlisle about some of the myths I've heard, including the one about being burned in the sun. He laughed at that and told me that we did not, but we still didn't go out in the sun because something else happens. He said our skin sparkles in the sunlight, but I've yet to see it. I'm quite anxious to see what that looks like.

I still had some time before I was supposed to meet Carlisle again, so I decided to go for a run to clear my head. I've only been a vampire for a few days, but I discovered that I love running. Carlisle said I was the fastest he's seen, and I was quite proud of that fact. I loved the way the wind would blow through my hair, running at speeds I only ever dreamed of. It was quite an exhilarating experience. When all was wrong in the world, running was just something that could take my mind off all of the chaos and voices inside my head and focus on nothing but my feet on the ground and the wind on my face. I could definitely get used to this.

I was suddenly brought out of my thoughts as the wind changed directions again, causing another mouth watering scent to run through my nose. Only this one was even more powerful and tempting than the last. I couldn't imagine anything better than the mountain lion. Instinct hit, and I immediately started running in the direction it was coming from. I ran faster and harder than I ever had, the scent nearly driving me insane.

I briefly saw Carlisle off to the side, but paid him no mind. I just needed to taste that mouthwatering aroma! Nothing else mattered. I heard footsteps behind me and vaguely heard somebody shouting my name. This made me irritated. He was stopping me from getting to that scent! I pushed forward, but I felt him right on my tail. The calls for me became louder and more frantic.

"Edward, don't! You don't know what you're doing!" I heard the voice shout at me. Well, that was insane, of course I knew what I was doing. Finding my prey!

"Edward, STOP!" It called again. Why on earth would I stop? All I wanted was that sweet nectar flowing down my throat. It smelled so wonderful, all rational thought seeped out of my head.

Suddenly, I felt someone tackle me from behind, knocking me to the ground. I was angry now. They were taking me away from that scent! I wanted it, needed it. I struggled against him, but somehow he held his ground, not moving. We stayed there for a moment, and the scent disappeared, giving me a chance to clear my head. Once I calmed down, my thoughts returned and I was very confused about what just happened.

Carlisle, sensing this, pointed a finger in the direction I was heading. Some ways off, too far for a human eye, but capable of letting me see, was a man, fishing in a pond near by. Suddenly everything clicked. His was the scent I was after. I was going to kill him, drain him of any life left in him. All because I was thirsty. That man had no idea how close he had come to losing his life only moments ago. An enormous amount of guilt and agony washed over me as I began to realize what almost occurred. It could happen again as well.

I was so angry with myself. How could I let that happen? How could I let everything go like that? I was a complete monster. A horrible creature, taking whatever he wants, not even thinking about the outcome for anybody else. I am now eternally damned to the inner pits of hell. No heaven would take a monster such as I.

Carlisle and I sat there for a long period of time, neither one saying a word. I could hear his thoughts were very frantic. _I can't believe I let this happen. I should have warned him. I should have been more careful. I could have taken him to a more isolated location. I should have explained to him about the blood lust. Oh, this is all my fault!_ I had to stop him. None of this was his fault. This one was completely my fault.

"Carlisle, please. None of this is your fault. This was all my fault. I should have been more careful." I told him, my eyes on my hands. I could tell from his thoughts that he didn't believe me.

"No, I should have prepared you for that. I'm so sorry, I didn't think..." he began. _I'm really not doing well here at all._ Came his thoughts.

"You're doing fine, Carlisle, you couldn't have known that was going to happen." I still felt incredibly guilty. Then something occurred to me. "What do you mean, 'blood lust'?"

I asked him. I remembered that from his thoughts.

_I really should have told him about that first._ I heard from his thoughts, though I'm not sure I was supposed to hear that. He decided to tell me anyway.

"Well... since we are vampires, our natural instincts is to feed off of human blood. Although feeding off of animals controls the thirst, there will always be the pull towards human blood. I just can't bring myself to take a life like that. That's why I've dedicated my life to saving them. It seems like the least I could do." I could tell from his thoughts that he was very passionate about this topic. But there was also concern. _I hope he still stays with me, after knowing how hard it's going to be. _How could he worry about something like that? I had to say something.

"Carlisle," I began, "Of course I want to stay with you. I may feel like a monster, but that doesn't mean I want to act like one." I could tell how relieved he was by that statement. Nothing could be more true.

_Thank you._ He thought to me, and smiled warmly. I simply nodded.

I don't know how long we stayed there, but it was definitely a long time. Neither one of us speaking, both lost in our own thoughts.

I started thinking about the life, if you could call it that, that I have now. After what happened today, I realize that this is not going to be an easy road to take. I know that it will be extremely difficult for a while, learning to control the blood lust, and trying to accept who I am. I'm glad that I have Carlisle here to help me through it, though. He is such a kind and compassionate person. He was becoming a good friend these past few days. This life was going to be hard, but with him, I think I can pull through it.

After a while, it became dark, and we headed back for home. _Home_.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four: A New Addition

Shortly after Carlisle changed me, we thought it would be best to move to a town where no one would recognize us. If people saw the town doctor roaming around with a 17 year old boy who's supposedly dead would seem to be a little suspicious.

We decided that we would go to Ashland, Wisconsin, where we've lived for about three years now. Carlisle has been a wonderful example to me. He taught me how to hunt, how to control my powers (physical and mental) and has proved to be a wonderful travel companion. I've never met a kinder being than him. So compassionate in everything he does. He would have to in order to be in his line of work. Being around all those humans all day long would certainly be too much for me to handle.

After the "incident" on my first hunting trip, I was so disgusted with myself that I wouldn't go outside at all. It was too hard to think that I had almost taken the life of that man just so I could satisfy my appetite. Well, when we moved, Carlisle thought it would be best if I stayed out of the public eye for a while, while I worked on my blood lust. Such a monster I've become.

My only release was through my music. I had been playing the piano since I was tall enough to sit on the piano bench myself, and it always brought me peace when I played. Over the years, I became rather good and even composed a few pieces of my own. It seemed to me that my feelings and emotions could more easily be expressed through music then any type of written word. After my parents died, Carlisle made sure that I took with us some of our family's personal possessions. Somehow he managed to have me keep our house in Chicago, some jewelry my mother owned, as well as her engagement ring (She made Carlisle promise to give it to me if anything were to happen). I was also able to bring with us my one true love. My piano. Since I had much time on my hands these days, that's were I spent most of my time.

That's where I am right now, waiting for Carlisle to come home from work. He takes the night shift and it's almost dawn. A few minutes later, I here him walking up the steps of our apartment. I checked his mind, but he seemed to be blocking me (shortly after finding out about my ability, we decided it was best for privacy sake for there to be a way to tune out the minds. Apparently, thinking of trivial things keeps your true thoughts pushed down). That was odd, Carlisle almost never blocked his thoughts from me, unless he wanted to talk to me about something.

Oh no... this was going to be big. I mentally prepared myself, plastered on a smile for good show, and greeted Carlisle.

"Hello, Carlisle. How was work?" He had a worried, almost pained expression on his face. I checked his mind again.

_'Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut...'_

"That's actually what I wanted to talk to you about..." '_Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana...'_

I had to speak up... I couldn't take anymore state alphabetizing.

"Carlisle, what are you hiding? Whatever it is couldn't possibly be that bad."

Apparently that was the trigger to shut down his mental block. He looked more pained than I've ever seen him. I searched his mind again, and saw the image of a battered woman, lying on a cot at the hospital. It didn't make sense to me. What does she have to do with anything?

Carlisle began again, this time at vampire speed. Even I had to pay attention to keep up.

"Seven years before I found you, I was living in Columbus, Ohio, as a doctor at a local hospital. While I was working one evening, a young girl came in with a broken leg. I treated her, but I could tell that there was something different about her. I felt a stronger pull toward that girl than I have to any other patient. More so than even you. I would spend every second I could with her, needing to know that she was alright. Not long after I treated her, the need I felt for her was so overpowering that I left. I couldn't bear it if anything happened to her because of me, so I left. I've never forgotten her. Not ever. Not her face, her hair, her laugh..."

He paused, seeming to be remembering. I left him to his thoughts, the moment seemed to private to intrude on. I waited for him to continue.

"Today, I on my way home from my shift at the hospital, I was running past the cliffs. I saw her. She looked so pained, I didn't know what to do. Then I saw her jump. I think if my heart were beating, it would have stopped again in that instant. I ran as fast as I could. I tried to get there in time, tried to save her... but I couldn't. I was too late."

As he was saying this I saw that scene play through his mind's eye. It truly was a heartbreaking sight.

Then his mind became blocked once more. Suddenly, there was a flicker of light, of hope, in his eye. Without another word, he grabbed me by the wrist and took off running. Within a minute we were at the hospital.

"Hold your breath." He told me firmly. I obeyed immediately.

He took me to the room that she was in, secluded from the rest of the hospital. There, lying on the cot, was the girl I had seen in his mind. She wasn't dead, but she would be very soon. Most of the bones in her body were broken, and she had lost an awful lot of blood. I looked back at Carlisle.

"I don't understand," I began. "Why did you bring _me_ here?" I tried to search his thoughts but he was still blocking me. He looked me firmly in the eye.

"Edward, you are a part of this just as much as I am, or her. When I changed you, we became partners, friends... family." He smiled slightly at this, but quickly sobered. "Edward, I have an attachment to this girl that I can't explain. I left her once, I can't see her gone again. The only way to save her is to change her. I want you to be as much a part of this decision as I. We're family. We make decisions together. But whatever the decision may be, it is imperative that we make a decision quickly, before one is made for us." He visibly flinched at that part, seeing a lifeless body in front of him in his mind.

I thought about it quickly. As much as he tried to hide it, I could tell that he felt something for this girl. Something strong. I could tell how much he cared about her. Then I thought about where I would be now if Carlisle had not found me. Dead. Would death be better than this half life we had? At least she wouldn't be alone. She would have someone who cared for her. I looked over at him. I could tell this is what he wanted.

_'Please'_ I heard him whisper in his mind. That was all I needed.

"Do it." I said to him.

He didn't need any more than that. He quickly gave me a smile of his thanks and bent his head to her neck, kissed it, and whispered in her ear, "I will be with you the whole time. I'm so sorry. Please forgive me." And then he bit down. He bit both sides of her neck, her wrists, and her ankles. Less pain that way.

We quickly took her out the back way, so no one would see us. Luckily it was still dark out, so no one would question our speed.

When we arrived back at our apartment he went to the bed (more for appearance sake than anything), laid her down and sat by her side holding her hand.

All we could do now was wait.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five: New Love, New Family

The next three days were pure torture. The pain of the change was something I didn't care to relive. However, I could hear all of her thoughts and I knew exactly how much she was hurting. Carlisle's attachment to this woman was growing stronger by the minute, I could hear it in his thoughts. For three days, he didn't leave her side. He held her hand the whole time, whispering words of encouragement in her ear. Not that she could really comprehend any of it.

Her thoughts were definitely focused on the pain. But occasionally, when she would open her eyes and see Carlisle, I could hear her thinking, _'It's him. It's him.'_ I can only guess she remembers him in some way, all these years later. I guess this connection is more powerful than I originally thought.

I stayed as long as I could, but sometimes the blood was too much. I went hunting for a while, occasionally went on walks, anything to clear my head.

Finally, the three days had past. We were both in the room now. The screaming stopped, heartbeat stopped, no sign of life in her whatsoever. She didn't immediately wake up, and that frightened Carlisle to no end. _'Please let her be ok, please let her be ok'_ was his mantra.

All of a sudden, her eyes opened and she sat strait up in the bed. I could tell from her thoughts that she was confused, not knowing where she was, or who we were._'This is so strange. Is this heaven? Is the man in front of me God? Is the other an angel?'_ I had to fight back a scoff on that one... me, and angel? Ha! Her thoughts flooded into my mind once more. _'Whatever this is, it has to be better than my life before. My poor baby...' _Then in a flash, I could see horrible images come into her mind. A man beating her senseless, her running away, her very pregnant, her having the baby, her lying the baby in a small wooden coffin, and finally her jumping off of a cliff. I've never seen someone with so many hardships in their life. I would do my best to make her feel like we could be trusted, and that we would take care of her. Carlisle especially.

Finally, she spoke.

"It's you. I know you..." She looked at Carlisle, and then very cautiously lifted her hand to his face, touching her fingertips to his cheekbones, down his jaw, trailing her way back up to his hairline, before very cautiously running her fingers through his silky blond hair. When she started her journey, his eyes were wide, but filled with emotion. When her fingers came to his hair, however, he closed his eyes and leaned into her touch.

He smiled lovingly at her. "Yes, you do." He finally responded, once he found his voice to speak. Carlisle began to explain. "This may be hard for you to understand, but I'm going to try my best to explain." His voice was slightly ragged. I've never seen him this flustered before. He took a deep breath in an attempt to calm himself. "My name is Carlisle Cullen. We met years ago, when you broke your leg, you remember?" She nodded and he continued, his eyes boring into hers. "I've always remembered you, always wondered if you were ok. A few days ago, I saw you on the cliffs. I saw you jump..." he winced at this, seeming to fight back a lump in his throat. He looked so pained. Another deep breath. "When I reached you, you were severely injured. I knew I had to save you. I couldn't let you go right when I found you again. And... this was the only way to save you." He proceeded to tell her of what we are and how we live. He seemed very calm on the outside, but on the inside he was silently begging her to understand, to stay with him.

He continued.

"So, of course you have a choice. If you prefer to go on your own, living in your nature, I respect that and wish you all the best. But if you would like... we would be honored if you would stay with us." His eyes were pleading with her now.

She smiled warmly at him. "Of course, Carlisle, I would love to be a part of your life." He practically beamed at this statement.

He couldn't contain himself, and he engaged her in a warm embrace, holding her close. Both their thoughts so full of love, I felt like I was intruding on the moment. I quietly left the room to give them some privacy. I could introduce myself later.

I went to occupy myself by sitting in front of my piano, plucking the notes and closing my eyes and let the unwritten music guide my hands across the keys. Nothing was better than this... well, maybe a good mountain lion, but that only comes close. I sat there for what seemed to be hours (although, when you're immortal, time doesn't mean anything anymore) before I heard the bedroom door open and Carlisle and Esme appeared in the doorway, all smiles, and standing very close to one another. I immediately stood, approached her, and offered my hand.

"It's very nice to meet you, I'm Edward." She extended her hand to me, and I took it and kissed the top, trying to be a gentlemen.

"It's lovely to meet you, dear. I'm Esme." She smiled shyly, but warmly.

A few months went by and we decided to stay low key, considering Esme was a newborn and needed a lot of practice. It turns out that Esme had lost a child recently, which was the reason she tried to end her life. She must have brought her motherly instinct with her, because she certainly acted like it. She was always trying to take care of Carlisle and myself. It was nice having her around, she seemed to keep everyone calm. Not that Carlisle needed that much. They really were a perfect match.

Carlisle and Esme have gotten extremely close since the change. It seemed to be love at first sight, except that first sight was seven years ago. It's like they've been in a relationship this whole time. I've never seen anything like it.

Before too long, Carlisle asked Esme to marry him. We had a nice, quiet ceremony. It was just us, and the Denali Clan, who were friends of Carlisle's. They were all very lovely people. There were three sisters, Tanya, Irena, and Kate. Then there was a married couple, Carmen and Eleazer. Tanya took quite a liking to me, but she wasn't really my type. I tried to let her down gently, I hope she understood. It was a nice wedding, and a time for all of us to get to know each other better. Everybody loved Esme. Carmen and Esme became very close, so I'm sure we'll be seeing more of them.

I've been in this life for three years now with just Carlisle, so it was quite a change to have the three of us now. I was very happy for them, and I couldn't think of anyone else I'd rather have with us then Esme. But something was missing.

I feel like I needed to make more of a connection to Esme. I knew just the thing to do it, too.

I went down and sat at my piano, and let the keys guide me. I knew of the kind of person Esme was, sweet and full of life. I let the emotions she shows to others inspire me, having those emotions come out the ends of my fingertips, to the keys, and finally onto paper. I spent the next couple of weeks perfecting it. I only practiced when Esme and Carlisle were out hunting, so it took some time. When it was finally ready, there was just one more thing that would really make her see how highly I thought of her. I had the perfect thing.

After planning out what I would do for her in my head, I went to find Esme. I found her in the garden she set up in our back yard. We had lots of land, and as it turns out, Esme is quite good with decorating and gardening. She completely transformed our living arrangements. She was quite something. I could hear her thinking of what she could do to make it even better. I chuckled.

"Esme," I called.

She looked up at me and smiled. "Edward! What a nice surprise. Did you come to help me in the garden?" She smirked. She knew I didn't like gardening. I left that to her.

I smiled back. "No. Actually, I was wondering if you had a minute. I'd like to show you something."

I tried not to let any excitement or nervousness show through, but Esme knew better. Must be that mother's instinct. I could hear her thinking, _'What's he up to?' _along with a list of things she thought I could be doing. Some of them I just had to laugh, they were just so amusing. Like I'm the practical joke type. Bah.

"Alright, dear. Where would you like me to go?" I smiled and guided her inside the house and over to my treasure. The piano. I really hope she liked this.

First, my speech. "Esme, I want you to know how much I enjoy having you as part of this family. I know that you made Carlisle happier than he's ever been. I'm so happy you two found each other. I know we haven't had much time to get to know each other, but I want you to know what it means to me to have you here with us, and that I hope we can become very close."

I opened up the lid to the piano, took a deep breath, and started playing. My fingers glided across the keys in a light hearted, loving melody. Some parts were very sweet, and others were very carefree, perky staccato parts. They all fit perfectly together, and they all reminded me of Esme. I let the last note hang in the air, and when I had enough courage, turned back to look at her. Her eyes were glassy, and her lips were quivering. If she could cry, she would have been. What I didn't know is if that was a good thing or a bad thing. Didn't she like it?

She didn't keep me waiting for an answer long. As if she knew what I'd been thinking, she spoke.

"Oh, Edward. That was the most beautiful piece I've ever heard! Did you write it?" She looked at me, beaming.

I'm so glad she liked it. I sighed in relief.

"Actually, yes. I wrote that for you. It reminded me of all the good you do for others, and how loving a person you are. I'm sometimes at a loss for words, and I figured this would show you how much I appreciate and care for you." I looked shyly at her.

"Oh, it's wonderful darling!" She exclaimed, and gave me a very mother like hug. I had one more thing for her though. I pulled away to look into her eyes.

"There's one more thing I'd like to give you if you don't mind." She looked confused. I listened to her thoughts. '_He's already written this beautiful music. What else could there be to give? I don't need anything else, that's enough._' That made me smile. She was so selfless.

"Well, Esme, I like to consider our little group a family. I know how much it hurts for you to have lost your child, and I also know the hurt of not having a parent, having lost both of mine to the influenza." I pulled out the box that was in my pocket. In it, was one of the several heart shaped diamonds my mother had left for me, along with her wedding rings. I had put it on a chain to go around her neck. I pulled it out for her to see, and continued. "My mother left this for me when she died. It's something I will always remember her by. I want to give this to you. This will show that, if not physically, then emotionally, you could be a mother to me, and I a son for you. Will you be my mother, Esme?"

She looked as if she would be crying again, but this time I knew they were happy tears. I could hear it from her thoughts. _'Oh, I finally get to be a mother again! Nothing could make me happier.'_ She nodded and threw her arms around me again, and I didn't hold back as I returned the embrace. It felt so nice to have a mother figure to care for and who cares for me.

"Edward, you are more of a son than anyone could ever hope for." She smiled and sniffled. "Can you help me put this on?" She smiled and handed the necklace to me.

"Of course, mother." I smiled as her thoughts turned to mush. _'He called me mother!' _She turned around as I attached the necklace, and then I had her face me again, so I could take a look. It did look lovely on her. She reminded me so much of my own mother. So caring. I knew then that I did love her like a mother. I knew I had to tell her.

"I love you, mother." I told her, hugging her again.

"I love you too, son." She said, returning the embrace. I knew we would be a family, the three of us, from then on out.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6: Leaving

Esme has been with us for six years now, and things have been pretty much the same. We talk, we hunt, we try to act human. Nothing ever changes. Life can become fairly mundane when you live for ever but have absolutely nothing to live for.

I need a change. Carlisle and Esme are closer than ever, and I feel like the third wheel sometimes. I'm glad they're very happy together, and I know from their thoughts and actions that they like having me around, but I know that they want time to themselves once in a while. They're in love, it's what people want when they're in love.

To be honest, I've been feeling kind of depressed. Why am I living the life that I am? Carlisle just enters my life and I automatically adapt to his way of living? That just doesn't seem right. How do I know this is the life I want for myself if I've never tried any other way? What if they've got it right and we've got it all wrong. I mean, if it's our nature to feed off of people, shouldn't there be a reason for that? I don't know what to do. Maybe I should leave for a while, try the other way. Or maybe I shouldn't. Carlisle is one of the best people I know. There must be a reason for why he chose this life. But what if I'm just not as strong as he is?

I just finished a hunting trip, complete with the wonderful meal of deer, and I've now been sitting on the bottom of a lake thinking about my life for about ten hours now. Being a vampire, I have no need for oxygen, or to breath at all, it's just strictly habit. Of course, it can get a little uncomfortable, but right now, I could use a little pain. Anything to lead me to one decision or another.

Should I stay? I know it would kill (figuratively speaking, of course) Esme if I left, and I know I would disappoint Carlisle if I choose to live the other way of life. I really don't want to disappoint or upset my parents.

On the other hand, I need to know for myself both options, to decide for myself which way I choose to live. It's not fair to me just to have accepted the vegetarian diet with no question. That was a rash decision, perhaps. But how will I ever know if I don't try both? Besides, they need some time by themselves, and I think maybe I need a little time to learn about myself, to figure out who I am, before I can be a good son for them.

Another four hours passed. I think I've finally made a decision. I'm going to leave. It will be better for them, and it will be better for me for a while. I haven't decided on if I'll come back or not, I've only decided that I need to go. I need to figure out who I am and what I believe is right for myself.

I swam to the top of the lake some hundred feet above me, and started running. I didn't particularly know where I was going, I just had to run. I couldn't face them quite yet, not knowing what to say. I'd take this time to figure out how to tell them. I ran for what seemed life hours, probably more, before I found myself in front of our house.

It was a beautiful house. In the country of Ashland, Ohio, where we have been since before we found Esme, the house was something to be looked at. Three stories high, bay windows at every turn, and a large porch on the bottom floor. There were also intricate designs around the windows and roof. It even has a widows landing on the third floor roof. It was a wonderful place to live with a large field in front and the woods to the back. I would miss this place.

I walked up the porch, into the brightly painted interior. I'm sure after my conversation today, however, that this room wouldn't seem so cheery.

"Carlisle, Esme." I called them in a normal voice. They would hear me wherever they were.

They were both down the stairs in front of me within half a second. I looked down at the floor, not knowing how to say this. I didn't want to hurt them, but I really needed to do this.

Both of their thoughts were extremely worried. Esme thought _'Oh dear, the poor thing looks awful. I hope nothing's wrong.' _Carlisle was more logical. _'He's been feeling depressed lately, and it doesn't appear to be getting better. I wonder if there's anything we can do for him...' _Neither one of them made me feel better, so I just pressed on.

"Um, could we sit down? There's something I need to say." I stated calmly. I knew from their thoughts that they were beginning to get very worried.

"Of course, son." Carlisle guided us to the kitchen table, where we had the majority of our important conversations. Might as well get some use out of it, other than a prop for company.

When we were all seated, I began.

"As I'm sure you've noticed, I've been feeling a little off lately, more depressed than usual, and I'm pretty certain I'm not getting any better. I think I've come up with a solution to this." I waited for them to see if they knew where this was headed. When their thoughts were blank, I continued. "I've decided that I need to leave for a while." I paused for this to sink in, and I heard them both gasp. "I know that this will be difficult for you to understand, but I need to do this for me. Please understand that I don't mean to disrespect or offend you by doing this. You have both been a parent to me for a while, and I appreciate everything you've done for me. But sometimes I feel like I've just accepted this way of life without really weighing the possibilities and alternatives. I'm going to go away for a while, I don't know for how long. I don't know if I'll come back or not. All I know is that I have to leave."

There was dead silence for a while, but there thoughts were far from silent. _'I can't believe he's leaving. I've only just started feeling like a mother again, and now the only son I've ever known is leaving. Am I not a good enough mother?'_ Esme's thoughts didn't make this any easier. I loved Esme, but I need to do this. Carlisle's thoughts were, as always, compassionate. _'I understand that he has to figure things out for himself. I hope he won't be too long. I will miss him.'_

I had to say something positive, something that would make this easier. For them. I would take whatever pain that is inflicted upon me, since I was the one who was leaving.

"I promise I'll come back. I just need to go away for a while." I promised. Though I was in no way sure if that was a promise I would be able to keep. But it did seem to ease their minds.

Carlisle spoke first. He looked solemn. "I understand, son. I had to choose for myself, and so do you. I hope you will come back to us soon. I will miss you." His thoughts were very sincere.

"I'll miss you, too, Carlisle." He came toward me and gave me a very fatherly hug. It meant the world to me.

I turned to Esme. She look so sad and heartbroken. It almost made me want to change my mind. Almost. Her lips were quivering, and it took her some time before she could speak.

"Edward," she said. That was all she could get out for a moment. When she spoke again, she could barely get the words out. "Come back. Please, come back." I knew she couldn't talk anymore, so I closed the space between us and wrapped my arms around her. "I'll miss you, Edward. I love you like my own son."

I needed to comfort her before I left. "I do think of you as my mother, Esme, and I love you. I promise I'll come back." That time, I think I meant it. I just need to do this first.

"I know, son." She let me go, and took a set back.

With one more look at each of them, I walked out the door. I didn't look back. It would be too hard. I ran into the woods, just running. I didn't really have a direction. I knew what I would have to do now. Suddenly, I knew where I was going. I traveled for a space of days, and finally ended up in London. I knew where I was going, and I knew what I would do.

I passed through the busy streets of London, just after twilight.

I would hunt.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7: Hunting Humans

I walked down the streets of London. It was pitch black outside by now. I have never done this before, hunted a human on purpose. I've had a couple close calls, but nothing like this. I wasn't quite sure how to go about it. I still really had a problem with hunting innocent people.

Then I thought of Esme, and more importantly, the way her husband treated her. He beat and abused her. I saw it in her mind. He forced himself on her without her consent. Nobody should ever treat a woman like that. Especially someone as good as Esme. Then I thought of all the women out there who are being misused, raped, beaten, or worse, because of scum like him. I thought about all of the scum on the streets getting away with those crimes. Well... they wouldn't get away with them anymore. If I was going to prey on humans, I was going to hunt the hunters.

Now I was in the mood to kill. I wanted to rip those men to pieces. I walked down the street, searching the minds of those around me. I was searching the minds of men, when I found one that was worse than them all. _'Ooh, there's a fresh piece of meat. She looks like she's never been touched. Well, I'll fix that. She sure is a pretty little thing. She won't be a girl by the time I'm through with her.' _Sick pervert. I went toward the thoughts. I could see through his mind a young girl, probably no older than fourteen. She had long curly blond hair, big light blue eyes, and very petite. She didn't deserve this. I would make sure that she didn't have to.

I turned the corner, and I saw the girl in question and my prey in a back alley away from public eye. Good, I wouldn't have to worry about witnesses. I saw through his mind that the girl noticed him, and was starting to walk quickly to get away from him. He was faster though. By the time I was a few feet away from him, he had her cornered. Quickly, I pulled on the back of his shirt, turned him around, and shoved him against the wall, holding his neck in my hand. I could feel his blood pulsing quickly through his veins. I turned to the poor wide eyed girl, who I've no doubt was just as scared of me as she was the scum in my grip.

"Run!" I nearly growled at her, trying to make her understand the urgency of the word. She didn't need to be told twice. When I saw that she was safely down the street, I turned back to my prey.

I took this opportunity to get a good, hard look at him. There wasn't much to look at. He was probably pushing mid forties, and obviously has nothing better to do with his time then to lye around in cow manure, drink at the pub, then ruin young women. He was overweight, with a gut sticking out of his middle. His hair was messed, coated in grease. He looked like he just finished taking a mud bath with the pigs on the farm. Smelled like it too. He wore a once white undershirt, and an old pair of overalls with only one of the sides snapped. This one was definitely a piece of work.

"Hey there bloke, whatya think yer doin! Lemme go right now urI'll –" He was cut off by my fist shattering his nose. Not only was he a rapist, he was a drunk one! Sometimes, I honestly wonder how the human race has survived this long. Either way, I wasn't going to let him talk anymore. I was too distracted by the blood dripping down his nose to focus on anything else.

I didn't quite know what to do next, so I closed my eyes and let my instincts take over. All at once, I decided I was going to make him suffer a little before I killed him. I'd make him suffer like the countless girls he made suffer on his behalf.

"Are you scared of me?" I asked, making sure he saw the pitch black of my eyes, and flashed him a glimpse of my razor sharp teeth. His eyes grew large, sweat beads started to drip down the side of his face. He was a vile creature indeed!

"N-no..." he stated, though I knew from his thoughts that he was lying. _'That is one horrifying bloke, he is. Just act tough, you'll get the best of him yet.'_

"You should be." I snarled at him. I was tired of dealing with him. I didn't want to listen to his voice, vocal or mind, any longer. His chubby face paled, and I could smell urine. This man was not worth the oxygen he breaths. I would be doing the world a favor disposing of this filth.

"You made countless young girls suffer, and now," I told him, getting within an inch of his face. "Now, I'm going to make you suffer just like they did." Then it began.

I punched him square in the jaw so fast he didn't have time to blink. I squared another one to his left eye, and then another to his already broken nose. I could hear the cracking of bone. By this time he was begging for death. I would wait just a little longer. Breaking his legs, like he had those of his victims, he fell in a heap on the ground. I lowered down, so I was level with him.

"Please, please, let me die!" He pleaded with me. Well, I would grant him his wish.

"I'd be more than happy to oblige." I growled. Since I really wanted this one to feel it, I didn't snap his neck, like I would an animal. I simply lowered my head to his pulse point, and sunk in my razor sharp teeth. An attempt at a scream came from his lips, but before it could come out, he had lost consciousness. Oh, the taste of mountain lion had nothing on humans! It was pure ambrosia. Never in my life have I tasted nectar so sweet, so enticing! Slowly, I drained him of every drop of life. Just like he had drained young girls of their innocence, and on more than one occasion, their very lives. As I dropped the lifeless course to the ground, I felt alright about taking another life, because I was freeing the world of garbage like him. I was doing them a favor. Saving one life by destroying another. I decided from then on out, the only humans I will hunt will be the hunters. The ones who don't deserve to live.

Suddenly disgusted at the sight before me, I quickly tossed the body over my shoulder, and ran down the way, to a bridge. There, I tossed the body over the water with enough force to make sure it sunk to the bottom. Not that anyone would really miss him if he was found.

I spent the next few days walking the streets of London, listening to the petty minds of those around me. Who was seen with who, is she really to marry that man, he is having an affair... the list goes on. They all lead such mundane lives, I hardly see the point in living.

Sometimes, when you're immortal, life can become a rather tiresome job. Pretending to be human, fitting into their world, and pretending to care can take a lot out of you. Not to mention, immortality only goes so far. What was the point in having eternity to walk among the earth when you have no one to share it with? For that matter, there was much on this earth that isn't worth living for. I haven't found much that is. There is one exception to that of course. Carlisle and Esme. They are perfect for each other. That kind of love is worth living for, because you can share it with another, confide in another. As I walk the city streets by myself, I felt more alone then I ever have before.

I started making a mental note of all the filthy minds of men in this city. I have started to compile a list of potential prey. After all, the chase of the hunt is half the fun. Esme disagrees. She always used to tell me to stop playing with my food.

After a week of being in the city, just wondering and listening to the minds of those around me, I decided I should start checking some names off my list. I decided to follow the mind of a man who was about to murder his friend over a game of cards. Pathetic. According to his mind, he was in a dark ally way, on the way home from the game. His friend didn't suspect a thing. Well, I certainly wasn't going to let him kill an innocent man.

I neared the street, walking in from behind the prey of my choice. The victim's eyes went wide, and started running. I took a step forward, toward the murderer. The second I got my hands on him, I heard a sound from behind me. A crack of a twig on the ground, but I knew somebody was there. Why hadn't I sensed them before? I guess I too busy focusing on the murderer, I didn't think to hear anyone behind me. It was probably nothing. I started toward him again, when I heard a voice from behind me.

"Hey! Drop him, he's mine!"


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: I don't own twilight or its wonderful characters, but I do own Laena!

Chapter 8: Others

"_Hey! Drop him, he's mine!"_

I froze. How could I not have heard that? I must have been really distracted by my meal. I'll have to be more careful next time.

I turned to see a magnificent creature, red hair flowing in waves, pale angular features, and dark circles under her red eyes, black from hunger. Two things were absolutely certain. She was a vampire, and she was hungry.

I was still for only a fraction of a second, but it was enough for her to become testy.

"Didn't you hear me? I said he's mine!" She huffed. She seemed almost like a child.

I dropped the man I was about to feed on, leaving him unconscious on the ground beside me. I turned around to face this feisty vampire. I took a second to look over her more carefully. She couldn't have been more than 5'3, wearing a black dress showing off her perfect curves. She was a lovely creature. Her hair was her most powerful quality, flowing all the way down to her knees. Her eyes were round, her lips full with a scarlet tint. She was strikingly beautiful. Though, I wasn't phased by her beauty. All of our kind have extreme beauty. It attracts our prey.

I could hear in her mind that she was becoming frustrated. I turned back to the task at hand. I definitely didn't want an angry vampire on my hands, so I did the gentlemen thing to do. I apologized.

"I'm sorry, I didn't know there was claim on him." I tried to sound sincere, but I was hungry, so it probably came out badly.

"I've been following him all night, and you thing you can just come and take all the credit." She started mumbling to herself, something about getting rid of the evil men. I'm not sure if she was talking about me or the murderer. Her mind was all jumbled, so it did no help.

"Look, I can see you're hungry, and you obviously have been following him, so I'll back off. You can have him." I tried to be respectrul, but as I said the words, I could hear remorse in her mind. She looked at me with big doe eyes.

"I'm sorry, I was being beyond rude, I'm truly sorry. Its just... well... I get really cranky when I'm hungry." She looked down and if it were possible, she would be blushing. I could tell there was something more, though.

"There's something else, isn't there. Some other reason for your frustration?" I already knew it from her mind, but I didn't think she would appreciate me saying so at the moment.

She looked up at me questioningly, but nodded. She took an unnecessary breath, and began.

"Look, I didn't have a good past, alright? The reason I came into this world was from a monster like him. I was left for dead, when my maker found me, and turned me. I was so angry at that man who ruined my life, that I promised that everyone I killed to sustain me would be one like him. Maybe I could rid the world of a little more evil. It seems to make up for the evil that is me." She finished quietly.

She didn't even know me, and she opened up to me in such a way. It was touching. Not only was she sharing her story with me, she completely shared my view of the hunt. Destroying the world of evil to protect the people who would become their next victims. People like this wonderful creature here, people like Esme, like the little girl the other night. They should never have to face a fate like that.

I smiled at her. "I completely agree. That's why I was after him as well – for the same reason you were. I saw that he was going after that man, and I had to stop him." I said.

She smiled back. "I'm Laena." She said proudly, extending her hand.

"Edward" I replied, taking her hand and kissing the back of it.

She was quiet for a moment, so I listened to her thoughts._ 'Well, it's nice to meet someone so much like me. But what are we going to do about the man on the ground? I'm so hungry, but so is he. His eyes are so dark. Hmm.'_ Suddenly, I light went off in her head, and I saw what she was going to ask before she said it.

"Want to share?" She asked bubbly, nodding her head in the direction of the man lying unconscious on the floor.

"Sure." I said, extending my hand, signaling for her to go ahead.

We both knelt over the body, both cleaving to either side of his neck. We looked at each other briefly, and then sunk our teeth into his flesh. The man became conscious briefly from the pain, gasped, and stopped breathing. I drank greedily, feeling the warm blood run down and sooth my burning throat. It felt good to know that I was ridding the world of one more piece of trash on the street.

After we drained him, we quickly buried the body and dusted ourselves off. Laena drank a great deal, but she didn't seem to have a spot on her.

She smiled up at me, her thoughts extremely happy that she met a new friend.

"Come with me," she said in a sweet voice. "I want to show you something."

With that, she grabbed my hand and pulled me into the night.


End file.
